Persephone Potter and the Ring of Hope
by Slytherin
Summary: Persephone Potter is an ordinary girl, as ordinary as a young witch can be at least. She’s got an older brother, a mum and dad… That’s all about to change. We have appearances from the Marauders, several familiar Slyths, some new people and dear ol'
1. An Introductory Chapter

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Author: Slytherin

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I profit from any of the fiction that I write. I write purely for my entertainment as well as for those who wanted a reason to point and laugh at me. (Here's your reason! J ) I'm in no way associated with J. K. Rowling or Warner Bros.

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Summary: Persephone Potter is an ordinary girl, as ordinary as a young witch can be at least. She's got an older brother, a mum and dad… That's all about to change. We have appearances from the Marauders, several familiar Slyths, some new people and our favorite villain, Voldie. 

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Persephone Potter and the Ring of Hope

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Chapter One: _An Introductory Chapter_

"Persephone, dear! We've got to go, James was supposed to be at Sirius' house five minutes ago!" Marianna Potter called out to her daughter from the living room on the first floor of the Potter mansion.

"One second, mum!" the eleven year old responded before rushing down the stairs in a black, knee high skirt.

It was the second week of July, 1972. The place? The Potter Mansion in Godric's Hollow.

The Potter Mansion had over sixty rooms, but around fifty of them were hardly used. You see, only four family members lived there. 

The father and man of the house was Jeffery Potter. He was a thin man, though not too skinny. Black messy hair covered his head while a pair of black, thick framed glasses rested on his nose. Of course, there was the occasional slip up, or slide down rather, but nothing the man's index finger couldn't take care of.

Then there was the mother. Marianna Potter, previously Marianna Melrights, but after the couple's marriage over fourteen years beforehand, she'd become a Potter. Like her husband, she was tall and had black hair, though not short nor messy. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Her hair reached well down her back, straight and neatly. She was one of those types that could wake up in the morning, forget to brush their hair and you wouldn't suspect a thing upon seeing her. One other difference, and definitely as noticeable as their different hair types, was their eyes. Both of them, usually, had warm, caring eyes. But the colors were completely different. While Marianna had black eyes, Jeffery had an unusual yellow color.

Continuing with the occupants of the Potter Mansion, we move onto the older sibling. The Brother. James Andrew Potter. Like both his parents, he was tall. Not out of the ordinary tall, but tall. His hair was almost an exact replica of his father's with the exception of lacking a small amount of gray hairs. However, his eyes were most definitely like his mother's. They were black, and usually had a gleam of mischief or happiness in them. Either way, they were a precious sight to behold. They weren't exactly like his mother's though, he inherited his father's bad eye sight. As well as taste in glasses, for they had the same frames. Though his were a bit smaller in width, to fit perfectly with his face shape.

Now, onto the youngest sibling. Persephone Marie Potter. Simply 'Seph to her friends though. Like all her immediate family, she was tall. But like her brother, she wouldn't stand out in a crowd. She, however, had hair and eyes nothing like the other three occupants of the Potter Mansion. Her hair was a light brown color. It could be described as chestnut colored, or golden, maybe a bit lighter. Now to hair length. It was very much like her mother's. Straight and long, though not as long as her mother hair. But she was doing a fine job catching up considering how old she was and how old her mother was. And her eyes. They had the warmth that her parents and older brother had, but not their color. Her eyes were a grayish color. Almost blue, but shifting more towards the gray side.

"Let's go, Persephone!" James urged as he jumped up and down in front of the roaring fire, "Sirius is going to set off the fireworks without me!"

"Fireworks? Why would you do fireworks now?" Persephone asked, pulling back her hair.

Their mother scowled slightly, but it was obvious that her scowling didn't help as James continued to enrich Persephone with details of blowing things up.

"James Andrew Potter," Marianna said softly as she pulled out a pouch of Floo Powder.

It was a known thing that they were in some sort of trouble when their mother said their full name. And as both the children stopped bickering, their mother raised an eyebrow.

"You'll do no such thing, James. If I find out that you _do_ blow something up, the slightest thing, you'll have a very cruel reminder of who pays your allowance." She grinned. "Used to, rather."

"I was just joking, mum. You know I'd never blow a tree or muggle mailbox up," he gave the most innocent smile he could muster up. 

It wasn't convincing. Not to his mother at least. It would have been to someone who didn't know him. But since she had raised him, with her husband, both parents knew every trick the children had to offer. At least that's what they liked to think.

"Told you," Persephone stuck her tongue out playfully.

Their mother only smiled, "Behave yourselves, please…If Adrianne tells me that you've put a _toe_ out of line, you'll have a big surprise come your birthdays. Clear?"

"As day-light, mum," James attempted again at an innocent smile, but to no avail.

"What about you, Sephy?" she smiled down at the younger sibling.

"Crystal clear. Oh, mum?" Her expression turned somewhat worried.

"Yes?"

"What if James or Sirius try to turn me into a toad?"

"They can't unless they want an official warning from the Ministry."

She gave James a knowing look, even as he returned a disappointed look. He very well knew that he was underage and wasn't allowed to do magic over the vacation. But his sister didn't. Until now anyway.

"Thanks, mum," he said dully as he sulked.

"Any time, dear." She smiled back at him before tossing half a handful of Floo Powder into the roaring flames.

"Jacob Black's house, 2, West Center Road." 

And James was gone.

"Alright dear," she said, reaching into the pouch for more Floo Powder, "your up."

"I know mum." 

Persephone stepped in after her mother threw in a bit more of the powder. "Jacob Black's house, 2, West Center Road."

Suddenly, Persephone felt a jerking feeling, as if her stomach were being ripped out of her body.

She gave a sick groan as she stepped out of the fire place. It wasn't as if she never used the Floo Network before. She just hadn't gotten used to it. (Nor did she think she ever would.)

"Persephone!" Sirius smiled as she slowly made her way completely out of the flames. "Y'know what? You've grown!"

She felt herself being hugged tightly by a cheerful and horribly excited twelve year old. "It's lovely to see you too, Sirius." 

She felt a slight blow to her stomach. It was James elbowing her as he gave her a look. The look was one of those, 'Be nice. Or be dead,' looks. She'd received it from her brother plenty of times. Never her parents though. She'd been cunning enough to blame many of her mistakes or misbehaviors on James or someone else, without making her look the least bit suspicious.

She returned his look with a well placed glare.

"You've gotten very…er… tall," Sirius looked at the top of her chestnut, golden-brown hair, looking at her height.

Persephone felt herself to become very warm. Blushing? Surely not. It was just Sirius here. It was a rare sight indeed to see her cheeks nearing a crimson color. 

"Er," James clearly didn't enjoy being ignored while his sister was the center of attention, "Sir, lets check out the alley way out back you were telling me about in your letter!"

'_Thank you, James!_' Persephone thought to herself as Sirius grinned, nodded and ran off waving his hand for a moment before disappearing through the door.

"Persephone!" Adrianne Black called as she made her way in holding a book. "It's wonderful to see you. How've you been, love?"

"Hullo Mrs. Black," Persephone smiled, somewhat relieved to see the older woman coming in. 

"I'm doing alright. Yourself?"

She chuckled lightly, "Oh, I'm just fine."

"And Mr. Black?" Persephone said, politely.

"Raphael? Oh, he's fine. He's at work at the moment though, so you'll have to settle with me as a temporary companion." She smiled softly before continuing. "Here, let's go into the living room and I'll bring in some lemonade. Alright with you?"

Persephone nodded, "Of course. Want any help with the lemonade?"

"Oh that's quite alright," she shook her head before motioning her hands towards the living room and running them through her short hair, "Just make yourself at home, I'll be with you shortly and we'll be able to talk."

Persephone did as Mrs. Black said. She walked from the den where the fire place was located and made her way to the living room where she sat on the lavender colored couch. The Blacks didn't live in a house nearly as big as the Potter's but Persephone always preferred the Black's house to her own. In her own house, her mother had locked up all the books that related to magic of any sort. For you see, James' and Persephone's parent's worked for the Ministry and therefore had books containing information that no eleven or twelve year old should know. And their parents had no time to look through each book and sort out which were acceptable for the children's reading use. 

At the Black's home though, the living room had book cases filled with books, free for anyone to simply walk over and pluck from the bookcase. At the moment, however, she needn't move from her seat as their was a book right by her side as she sat on the couch.

It wasn't that she was such an avid reader. It was more like she liked having one up on her parents. Many eleven year olds would understand it.

The book on her right was a dark red color on the cover. Maybe a brick red. On the cover in gleaming silver letters, it said, '_Magical Talismans, Rings and Stones_' by Warren Case.

The pulled the book onto her lap before she quickly skimmed through it. Some of the rings and talismans were said to date back to 685 B.C.

She quietly read several pages aloud. "This stone, when ground up and digested with the right potion, is said to enhance a witch or wizard's powers three fold. However, since it has yet to be found or made, it isn't for certain in existence…" That was read from the page describing the Crodin Stone.

She flipped through book again, only stopping when she saw a beautiful ring that caught her eyes. "The Ring of Hope," she started whispering to herself, "…It's last known position was in south Romania…" She skipped a few passages. A ring's origin didn't mean much to an eleven year old, after all. "…The Ring of Hope was made -ugh, skip that…Let's see…The ring is said to bestow extraordinary abilities to the one who wears it when first holding their first wand… Ugh, don't care about that either. What kind of abilities?" She asked herself. Or perhaps it was the book. Who knew? "With proper instruction and meditation, the ability to make others see what the Bearer wants them to as well as Telekinesis (moving objects with your mind) and the ability to focus on an elemental po-"

Persephone quickly closed the book and shoved it aside as Mrs. Black returned from the kitchen with a tray of Lemonade and some cookies. 

"Thanks Mrs. Black."

"Oh, you know me well enough to call me Adrianne," the older witch laughed.

"Alright M-Adrianne." Persephone smiled.

"So, you're eleven, right?" she questioned.

Persephone immediately knew where this was leading up to. She nodded and answered, "Yep, but I've yet to get my Hogwarts acceptance letter though."

"Ah," she nodded, "Have you given any thought of to what house you'd like to be in yet?"

"I'll most likely be a Gryffindor like my brother and father or maybe a Ravenclaw like my mother." A pause. "What house were you in at Hogwarts?"

"Oh, same as Sirius and Raphael, Gryffindor."

There was a temporary silence. It was the unspoken quiet that occurred when neither party of the conversation knew what to say, so they both looked from the floor to the lemonade, to the cookies, then to the other person. There was the timid smile, then their gazes moved right back to the floor to start over again.

The cycle was interrupted, though, by a rapping sound hitting against the window. There was an owl there, a barn owl with an envelope in it's talons. Adrienne quickly went over to the window and opened it, expecting the owl to drop the letter and leave. But much to both Adrianne's and Persephone's surprise, the owl flew into the room, dropped the letter off into Persephone's lap and left.

Adrianne walked over to Persephone with a large smile while Persephone simply looked at the letter, her eyes glistening. 

"Oh my," she whispered.

"Go on," Adrianne said, having not heard Persephone, "go on, open it. Nothing to be frightened of."

"I'm not," Persephone smiled up at the witch towering over her, "I just can't believe I got it!"

Her hands quickly enclosed around the letter before she tore the top flap off. She unfolded the paper and read, "Dear Ms. Potter, we are pleased to inform you, that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The new term will begin on September the first though your train will leave a day before that, September first at eleven o'clock. The Hogwarts Express will leave at eleven A.M. sharp from platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross Station. Your ticket is included in this letter, we expect to see you here unless otherwise noted by your legal guardian. Deputy Headmistress, Professor McGonagall."

"Congratulations!" Adrianne gave Persephone a hug, which she really wasn't expecting.

"Er-thanks." Persephone returned the hug, then quickly let go hoping Mrs. Black would do the same. "My mum's going to be so proud!" she beamed as she read through the other pieces of parchment included in the envelope.

"Of course she will!" she smiled and clapped her hands together, "You know what?"

"What?" Persephone looked up from her letter.

"You, James and your mother should come to Diagon Alley with Sirius and I. We'll be going with Sirius' friends Remus and Peter."

"I'd love to! James would surely agree and my mum shouldn't have a problem with it!" Persephone smiled back.

"Excellent!" and Mrs. Black was off to find the two boys and tell them of the news.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I do hope you enjoyed it. Trust me, it'll get long and hopefully, better! 

Questions, comments, flames are all welcomed and I'll do my best to respond!

~Slytherin


	2. A Small Find

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Author: Slytherin

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I profit from any of the fiction that I write. I write purely for my entertainment as well as for those who wanted a reason to point and laugh at me. (Here's your reason! J ) I'm in no way associated with J. K. Rowling or Warner Bros.

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Summary: Persephone Potter is an ordinary girl, as ordinary as a young witch can be at least. She's got an older brother, a mum and dad… That's all about to change. We have appearances from the Marauders, several familiar Slyths, some new people and our favorite villain, Voldie. 

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This Chapter: We're introduced to Remus, Peter & the Ring of Hope. Lucky us! J 

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A/N: Answers to questions in reviews are at the bottom. However, I need to answer one of them before I move on. Jeffery Potter is James' father. Marianna is his mother. Persephone is his sister.

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Persephone Potter and the Ring of Hope

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Chapter Two: _A Small Find _

A week had passed since Persephone had gone to Sirius' house and received her letter. Currently, it was ten AM and she was in her room getting ready to go to Diagon Alley to meet James' and Sirius' friends. 

The two boys had been friends since before Persephone could remember. It was in fact the adults that had introduced them. Jeffery Potter and Raphael Black were both in Gryffindor and in the same year as each other. They'd grown up being the best of friends and their friendship had continued on far longer than anyone else would have believed. Now, they even worked in the same department. They were both top Aurors (partners, as well) in the Ministry of Magic, very skilled at Charms and Transfiguration. 

Back to the present though. James and Sirius had known each other since before starting Hogwarts. Long before. However, while there, they did make friends. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, from what Persephone could remember. After hearing about them for three weeks, Persephone was more then ready to meet them. Well, she was slightly nervous, but her anxiousness overcame the nervousness. 

Persephone looked over her room. It was big as far as bedrooms went as it had a desk, a large one at that. A four post bed fit itself in there. Two book shelves filled with children's books. Persephone had read each one and came to a conclusion. They were all the same. There was the hero. Always male and handsome with charming blonde or light brown hair. The damsel in distress. Always female, blonde and beautiful. Then there was the bad guy. Always male, with the exception of Snow White of course, not good looking with black hair reaching his shoulders. He also had a scowl on his face, unless of course, he was romancing the damsel he kidnapped. It wasn't as interesting as it had been when she first read that type of book. But now she was sick of it. For once, she wanted the handsome hero to be in distress. Maybe the beautiful damsel could be the heroine? The bad guy might possibly might turn out to be good? For once, she'd like it to be a surprise and not so cliché.

Yes, she was ready to go. Now all she had to do was wait. Two hours. Sometimes when she was extremely nervous and anxious, she'd get up early and get dressed really quickly. This was one of those times. Her parents were up but her father already left for work. Her parents both worked for the Ministry, but they'd made it clear that one parent had to be home at all times during the summer. So if Jeffery Potter were at home, Marianna would work and vice versa.

With a son as clever and mischievous as James, they wouldn't risk him staying home alone and burning the house down.

Persephone opened the door and left it opened. She only did so because Merf, one of the house elves ran in to clean her room, not that she didn't keep it tidy. Merf and Grall the potter's house elves. Unlike most elves, they weren't treated horribly. They were given a salary and rooms of their own to sleep in which was very uncommon. But then again, how many wizarding family's lived in a mansion with over fifty spare rooms?

Persephone bounced down the stairs quickly, only stopping in the living room when she heard someone clear their throat.

"Good morning, mum," she smiled, before turning around to see her mother standing the with her hands held to her hips.

"Good morning, Persephone…Aren't you forgetting something?" Persephone looked at her clothes, then to the walls as she tried to remember anything she might've forgotten.

Nope. She couldn't think of anything. She'd washed up, gotten dressed, brushed her teeth… Oh, hell.

"Er…breakfast?" she questioned.

"That…and…?" she continued as she watched Persephone's confused face with a smile.

"Er…"

"You forgot to tell me where you're off to…"

"Oh, I just want to walk along the trail out back," she said happily and somewhat relieved that she wasn't in trouble.

"Alright…have some breakfast before you go, dear."

"Not hungry," Persephone said off handedly.

"Orange juice and you've got a deal," her mother smirked.

"Deal." Persephone said before making her way into the kitchen and grabbing a cup. 

Within a minute, she was back to making her way out the door. She went around the mansion, which took 3 minutes, more or less, and went towards the path that lead deep, into the heart of the forest area. It really was a pleasant walk, as well as the girl's destination. For in the middle of the forest, was a small pond and a large rock that she often sat on to simply think and be by herself.

It was a quarter of an hour before she reached her destination. Luckily the leaves of the tree shielded her of most the of the sunlight. When she saw the large rock by the pond, she ran and jumped onto it with a childish smile. This was exactly how she liked it. Silent with the exception of nature calling it's children and them responding. 

She then sat down on the rock, Indian style before leaning over it warily. She wouldn't go too close to the pond for one reason and one alone. Kappas. James said there was a whole school of them in there. Persephone very much doubted many beings could live in such a small shallow pond, but that didn't stop her from becoming very nervous around it. Though she was somewhat nervous, she couldn't help but smile as the small specks of sunlight hit the surface of the pond, giving it a sparkling effect.

Something caught her eye. It wasn't something moving, like most would think. Quite the opposite. It was staying extremely still. Too still, considering the rippling water. And it couldn't be a rock, for it was sparkling. Persephone leaned closer and closer, still a bit nervous about the monsters that might be living in the pond, but her curiosity took over. Slowly, she reached down towards it. As her skin felt the cold water, she shivered slightly, then quickly pulled the object out. It was a small silver ring. She examined it for a moment, then placed it on her middle finger. 

She wiggled her fingers around, admiring it when her eyes caught a glimpse of her watch. "Oh god…"

With that, she bolted off towards her home. With any luck, James would be really sluggish today and wouldn't be ready to go yet…Of course, if she were late, her mother would Apparate to her and tell her so, but that thought didn't cross her mind till she was already breathlessly panting in front of her house.

"Mum? James? You two ready to go yet?" Persephone yelled as she walked in.

"I'll be down in a second!" she heard James call down the stairs.

Then she heard her mother call from the kitchen, "It's good your back, I was getting worried."

James was bounding down the stairs, "Any Kappas try to eat you?" He grinned.

Persephone simply glared before smiling and responding, "Oh yes, but I promised them an even bigger meal. You."

"Funny Seph, I'd believe you if I didn't already know that there isn't a living thing in there besides some goldfish."

It was a moment before he realized his mistake.

"Always knew it wasn't true," she grinned.

"Let's go, you two," Marianna said as she swiftly made her way towards the two with a pouch of Floo Powder. "And remember, we're going to the Leaky Cauldron."

She threw a handful of Floo Powder in and Persephone stepped in. "The Leaky Cauldron, London."

The feeling that her stomach was being ripped from her wasn't a pleasant one. Unfortunately, it was still with her when she stepped from the fire place in the Leaky Cauldron. 

She was soon joined by her brother who immediately spotted Sirius and headed over to him with a grin.

Then her mother emerged. 

"Mum," she whispered, "I need a drink or something before I keel over and-"

"Persephone!" James called her from the other side of the room, "C'mere!"

"She'll be there in a moment James," her mother called back sternly. "Come, let's get you a drink…How about a butterbeer?"

Persephone nodded before taking a seat at a two seated table. A moment later she was joined by her mother. 

"Alright now?" she asked concerned.

"Yep," Persephone said after swallowing her first gulp, "Thank mum."

"It's quite alright…when you're ready, why don't you go join James and Sirius so you can meet their friends? I'll be with Adrianne and Mrs. Pettigrew and Mrs. Lupin, just there." She pointed to a table with three witches sitting around it, then placed a pouch on the table and said, "Here's your money, it'll more than enough for what you need and you've got your letter with you."

"Alright." Persephone nodded and stood up taking the mug with her as she walked over to the four boys. "Hullo, Sirius."

"Hey there Seph," he smiled as he sat next to James at the circular table.

Across from James and Sirius were two other boys that Persephone assumed were Peter and Remus. Which was which? 

The boy farthest from her was a bit short and had short blonde hair. "Hi there, I'm Peter Pettigrew," he said, his voice showing a slight trace of nervousness.

"Nice to meet you," Persephone said before looking behind her. For what? The boys were clueless. 

She places her drink down on the table with the four other butterbeers, "Excuse me a moment, please." She then turned to the table behind her, more specifically, the closest chair. She began dragging it when she felt it suddenly become considerably lighter. Nope, it wasn't the chair. There were a pair of hands holding onto the back.

"Need some help?" he smiled down at her. He was the other one at the table, Remus. "I'm Remus, by the way."

"Oh, Persephone," she held out her hand, shook his and nodded. "Uh, sure."

"Don't worry, I'll get it." He picked the chair up and placed it by the table

He was tall. About as tall James and Sirius. He had messy hair, just not as mess as James or Sirius and it was blonde. Or maybe a very light brown. It was actually very close to her own, in Persephone's opinion.

"Thank you, " she blushed slightly, before taking a seat. 

She outstretched her right hand towards her mug as Remus sat down. 

"Where'd ya get the ring Seph?" James asked, referring to the ring that she had kept on her finger since earlier that day. 

Persephone quickly retreated her hand, "Oh…found it."

Underneath the table, her left hand began pulling at the ring, trying to get it off. But…it wasn't budging!

"Oh, yea, really." James grinned. "Did you find it? Or did Remus?"

"Oh, shut it, James," Sirius grinned, "Can't you see we're embarrassing the couple?"

"Ugh," Persephone still couldn't get the ring off. "I'm going to get my things, I'll be seeing you."

'_Why won't it come off?!_' She thought as she continued to pull at the ring. It didn't budge. '_It wasn't this small when I put it on!_'

"No, mum said we'd be going together," James looked at his watch, "C'mon, we'll be done with all the shopping soon enough. Then we can get your owl, Seph." He directed the last sentence to his sister as she struggled with the ring.

She nodded, still nervous about the ring, though she decided not to mention it to her brother. They all stood up and went towards the back of the gloomy pub. Sirius, James and Peter went ahead while Remus stayed slightly behind the trio with Persephone.

"So, this is your first year at Hogwarts then?"

"Yea. Just got my letter last week while at Sirius' house," she answered, as she continued on with Remus at her side.

"You know you look absolutely nothing like your family?"

She nodded and giggled, "Yes. I know…Are you an only child?"

"I've got an older brother…but he was sorted into a different house and since then he's been very distant."

"Oh? What year and house?"

"He was made a Ravenclaw six years ago," he muttered.

"Do you hate him for it?" 

"No! Of course not," he insisted. "I'm just…hurt. I don't know why, but I thought he'd be a Gryffindor like the rest of his family…"

"Well, I guess he was his own person…" she answered as she and Remus walked past the bricks that just split, leading the path to Diagon Alley. "Can't blame him for it."

"Wouldn't even if I could. I was just a bit upset that someone I love so much wasn't close to me."

Persephone only nodded. '_Was that how James would react if she were made a Ravenclaw?_'

Sirius, James and Peter had stopped to wait for Remus and Persephone. 

"Coming or what?" Sirius questioned. Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "I think we should buy our books first. You got your booklist, Persephone?"

She nodded and followed them to Flourish and Blotts. 

The group quickly bought all their books. It wasn't hard considering three of them were looking for the same books. When they left the shop, they all had a bag full of books. And they spent all the time they had complaining about how heavy the books were.

Persephone grinned but did a very good job hiding it. "You know, I think my books are all light…extremely light. If I didn't know better, I'd start to think that you guys were just incredibly weak…"

James and Sirius looked outraged. Peter looked guilty and Remus had an amused smirk on his face.

"You know very well that we were joking!" James exclaimed.

"Yea," Sirius agreed, "We're even strong enough to carry twice as many books as we've got here!"

"Oh, I'm sure you could," Persephone said in a tone that made it known she didn't believe them.

"I'll prove it," James said, taking Persephone's books without asking her.

"Oh, I guess you were right and I was wrong…unless of course you can hold them for a certain amount of time…then you…wimp out…Understandable…I'll just take my books before you fall and hurt your arm."

James held them tightly, "Oh yea, well, I'll bet you anything I could hold them the whole time we're in Diagon Alley!"

"Anything then?" Persephone asked, perking her head up.

"Anything!" James insisted, pure determination on his face.

Persephone narrowed her eyes, "One sickle then!"

"Deal!"

Persephone grinned. It was so easy to trick him. 

They continued glaring, though Persephone was only humoring him, when Sirius nudged James with his elbow. "It's Ol' Snake. Look at 'im…the git."

"Seph," James didn't remove his eyes from the figure in question. "That there, is Severus Snape. You don't want to have anything to do with that git. Alright?"

Persephone nodded. However, she couldn't help looking at him. He was a bit taller than herself, but not as tall as James. His hair was shoulder length and looked as if it could use a shower. At least that's what she thought from her distance. It seemed a bit more oily than a person's hair should be. He had sharp facial features and extremely pale skin, very much like her own. She continued to look at him, even as he looked back at her, then at those standing behind her. He then said something to a tall boy, blonde hair neatly plastered onto his head. They glared in her direction, yet not directly at her.

"They seem awfully friendly, who's the blonde one?" Persephone asked Remus in a sarcastic voice. 

"Oh, Lucius Malfoy. Not the friendliest of sorts…"

Persephone nodded and they were off to buy more supplies.

The day drawled on. It hadn't been as much fun as Persephone had initially thought it'd be. They bought potions supplies, parchment, quills, ink and the necessary robes. That wasn't the last of it though. Since only Persephone needed to buy a wand and a familiar, they all decided they'd do that last.

"Alright Seph, let's get you a pet." 

They finally arrived at Magical Menagerie. It'd been the same place James got his owl, Drianna. She was a Great Horned owl and a beautiful sight when flying home during sunrise. Persephone winced as she entered the store. Between the hooting and meowing, she'd actually considered buying a toad. After arriving in the toad section, she was quickly advised against it. And frankly, she didn't want a dull toad that croaked once in a while. She wanted something that was allowed to stay in her dorm and curl up with her when she needed it. Something to pet, something that would roll around and act cute. She wanted a cat. All four boys wasted no time and began pointing out several adult cats with cute designs and fluffy white fur.

However, she took none of the boys' advise. Off to the side was a small cat. Perhaps it was a kitten, though it didn't seem that young. It had shiny black hair with the exception of a bit of white on it's nose.

An old witch had come over to her after seeing her interest in the cat. "That's Ebony. She's a sweetheart."

"How much?"

"Three galleons."

Two minutes later, Persephone left the store with Ebony in a carrier basket along with cat care supplies and the four boys. 

"She's a beauty, Seph." Persephone was somewhat startled by the witch that had said that. Her mother. It wasn't that her mother scared her. It was simply the shock of hearing her name unexpectedly said.

"Hey, mum!" A smile spread across her face. "Her name's Ebony."

"She's a darling, dear." She took hold of the cat carrier and whatever else she could, "Well, you've not gotten your wand right?"

"Course not," she said nervously, "Wouldn't have without you!"

Her mother gave a knowing smile, "C'mon, let's get you your wand."

And so they were off. Four mothers and five children made their way to Olivanders, undoubtedly the best wand maker in London.

When they arrived in front of the shop, Mrs. Potter looked at the group, then through the window with a somewhat worried look. Persephone understood exactly what was going through her mind. How would nine people fit into such a small space. Apparently, the other mothers understood as well.

"We'll wait out here, Mar," Adrianne Black said with a smile.

"Thanks Adrianne," she responded before opening the door for Persephone.

Persephone walked into the shop as the bell by the door jingled softly. An old man with wild white hair walked up front and smiled, "Ah, Marianna Potter. How've you been?"

"I've been quite alright. And yourself?"

"I've been better. Times are getting darker and darker. A war is brewing and I don't want to live to see it."

Mrs. Potter smiled uneasily and nodded slightly towards Persephone. 

The old man got the message quickly. He kneeled down to Persephone and held out his wrinkly, old hand. "What might your name be?"

"Persephone."

"Going to Hogwarts, then?"

"Yep," she smiled the same uneasy smile as her mother.

"You'll be needing a wand, then."

Persephone fought off the urge to say 'Clearly' in the most venomous tone she could muster up as she nodded.

The old man stood up and walked towards the back. "I just need to take your measurements, alright?"

Again, she nodded.

He pulled out some measuring tape, for length and with of her wand. While measuring her hand, he looked at the ring for a moment with curiosity but said nothing. After a moment, he put everything back and went towards the back again. Only this time, he began pulling boxes from the shelf. Three to be exact.

"Here we go," he said, opening the first box and handing her the wand. "Eleven inches, Dragon Heartstring, Mahogany."

She took the wand and instantly, she felt a warm feeling over her finger tips. Almost as if her fingers were blushing.

"Cool…"

"Seven Galleons."

Mrs. Potter paid and they left the store.

"That was quick," commented James.

"He got it in one shot," Persephone smiled as she secured her wand in her pocket.

The group stayed in the Leaky Cauldron for a bit more, but they all eventually left with a smile on their faces. As far as all the parents were concerned, their children behaved as well as they could have. And all the children were smiling. The boys, well, they'd gone off buying a few unnecessary objects. Specifically ones that would turn it's victim's hair different colors every 5 seconds. There were, of course, plenty more, but going into them now would ruin the surprise. And Persephone. She'd gotten her books. A cat. A wand.

__

Back at home, later that night (next morning?)…

'_Now if only this stupid ring would come off!_' she thought to herself as she sat on her bed with a book in front of her. She took the ring in her left hand's fingers and pulled. It came off!

She examined her right hand, then the ring, then her right hand, again. Looking at the clock on the far wall, she sighed. It was one thirty in the morning. Too late to think clearly. She placed the book and the ring on her bedside table and quickly fell asleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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Reviews:

Sara; Sarah Anna; Evanne Martine Hall(Thanks! You'll be wishing ya hadn't said that soon enough! :p)

~Slytherin


	3. Surprise

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I profit from any of the fiction that I write. I write purely for my entertainment as well as for those who wanted a reason to point and laugh at me. (Here's your reason! J ) I'm in no way associated with J. K. Rowling or Warner Bros.

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Summary: Persephone Potter is an ordinary girl, as ordinary as a young witch can be at least. She's got an older brother, a mum and dad… That's all about to change. We have appearances from the Marauders, several familiar Slyths, some new people and our favorite villain, Voldie. 

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This Chapter: We have a little visit from Sevie, Persephone gets a bit of info on the ring. One word will change her life forever. Also, if you can't tell, the chapters are getting longer. Trust me. Next chapter is like O.O

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Persephone Potter and the Ring of Hope

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Chapter Three: _Surprise_

Five weeks passed by quickly. During that time Persephone had gone through her books at least seven times each. At least that's what it felt like to her. She'd practically memorized her charms book. 

James hadn't done much reading. He'd gone over to Sirius' and Remus' house several times and they'd come to stay at the Potter Mansion. Though they were at the Potter residence often, Persephone rarely talked or played with them. She'd go to her little spot by the pond and sit there, reading. 

Something had been bothering her though. That ring. Since the night she got it off, she'd been keeping it around her neck, on a chain. It constantly bugged her. She knew that she'd seen something like it before. It just didn't seem right. There was a design on it. Two squiggly lines intertwined. But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't put her finger on it.

It was her last night at home before starting school at Hogwarts. So naturally, she'd had a hard time sleeping. But it was more than that. Every time she felt herself drifting to sleep, she'd see her ring and bolt upright. 

'_If only I had books on this sort of thing…_'

It didn't take long for her to come up with an idea. She desperately needed a book about the ring. But where would she find books on artifacts and such? Her own house of course!

She slipped a pair of socks on and tiptoed out of her room and up a floor. This was basically her parent's floor. It had their bedroom, offices, some empty rooms…and the library. She came up to the door and tried the door knob. Locked.

'_Not a problem._'

She whipped out her wand and whispered, "_Alohamora!_"

Again she tried the door knob. A smile of satisfaction crossed her lips as it turned the whole way. She pushed the door slowly, only leaving enough room for herself to slide through, then she closed it, hoping her parents didn't wake upon hearing the old door squeaking. 

'_Alright…Now where to start…_'

"_Lumos!_"

'Where to start' was a good question indeed. The room was large and was filled with book cases. Even worse than that, the book cases were packed from top to bottom with books! How on earth was she going to find the right book?!

She began reading titles to herself, moving from book to book quickly.

"_Ancient Curses: A Guide to Curses from the Barnon and Lendsley Series_", "_Ancient Legends: A Guide to Legends_", the list went on and on.

'_I've seen something about it! Now where was it?!_' She was loosing her temper. Already twenty minutes had passed and she was still in the 'A' section.

She suddenly froze as a slight noise filled the room. It was a dragging noise…No, it was as if a book was being pulled from a cabinet! But that was impossible. If her parents were up, they'd probably have scolded her by now. She held her wand out in front of her as she slowly and cautiously approached the origin of the noise.

'_The 'M' section?_'

Indeed. Her eyes were not deceiving her. A brick read book had fallen to the ground. Luckily, there was a short carpet where it had fallen, so the noise had been minimal. She held her wand to it, lighting up the cover and title.

'_Of course! Sirius' house!_'

She picked up the book, looked it over, then sat down on the carpet area. 

"What was it called…"

She quickly flipped through the pages, look briefly at several talismans and charms. But none that looked like her ring.

After another moment or so, she almost bit her lip in delight. 

'_The Ring of Hope. This extraordinary ring was made back in the time of the founders of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (For details, see page 63-a)…_'

Her head began throbbing as she continued to read every word of the page. By the time she finished reading everything that concerned the ring, she'd had such a bad headache, it felt like it would explode. She looked at her watch. Two twenty-six A.M.

'Oh! I've got to be up in less than seven hours!' she thought franticly to herself.

Finally coming to a conclusion, she ripped the pages concerning the Ring of Hope out of the book. Yes, her mother and father might scold her to no end for ripping one of their books. And sneaking into the library. But something told her it was definitely worth it.

Quickly, she put the book back and fled back to her room. Sighing deeply as she shut her door, she put the pages into her trunk and her wand onto her bedside table. Right next to the Ring of Hope on it's beautiful silver chain.

Despite being up at Two thirty in the morning, Persephone woke up bright and early…thanks to her alarm clock. At Eight o'clock, she rolled out of bed. One thing noticed was, her headache was gone. Perhaps it was just there because a lack of sleep?

An hour later, she was ready to go. Wearing all of her uniform with the exception of her robe, she'd fit in perfectly at the Muggle train station, and at arriving at Hogwarts, she'd only have to put it on rather than change her clothes completely. Her long hair had a single thin braid was set down the middle with the rest of her hair sliding down her back, but that was all.

"Good morning dear," her mother said as she dragged her suitcase to the front door.

"Morning mum," Persephone responded as soon as the trunk was directly in front of the door, ready to be loaded in the car.

"It'll take a bit under an hour to get there, so we'll leave in about forty-five to fifty minutes."

Persephone nodded, "I'll be outside…mum, can you lift my trunk into the car?"

"I'll take care of everything. Just make sure you've got everything, alright?"

"I've already done it mum, me and Ebony are going to sit outside…"

Persephone grabbed her cat and walked around the front garden toward the small gazebo.

Sitting on one of the benches, she pulled her hair back before petting Ebony and scratching her behind the ear. She hadn't forgotten last night's 'bedtime story'. Quite the opposite. IT had been plaguing her mind. Even as she slept. The word she had read echoed in the back of her mind. 

"What am I going to do Ebony?" she pulled out the ring on the chain necklace and continued talking. More to herself than her cat. "According to what I read, it chooses it Bearer…"

The cat simply purred in response.

"If I remember correctly, the ring didn't come off my finger. In fact, it was stuck! It only moved after I got my wand. My first wand…And it wouldn't budge when I tried to take it off…"

She pulled a wrinkled piece of paper of her pocket. 

"The Ring of Hope is said to have what not many magical items have, the ability of choice. It will choose it's Bearer…" she stopped reading as she pet Ebony. "For what and why though? It's been around for a thousand years!"

"Persephone!" she heard her mother calling her, "We've got to go!"

Persephone quickly stuffed the paper back into her pocket before running towards the car with Ebony.

"We thought we'd have to leave without you! Not that that's a bad thing…" James joked.

"James!" Mrs. Potter growled at James.

"Oh, I was only joking mum! I'm sure Persephone will be an excellent addition to Gryffindor…" he patted her on the back as she got in and shut the door.

It took around fifty minutes before they arrived at Kings Cross Station. On the way there, James and Persephone were very quiet and hardly made any noise. Of course, their mother was a bit suspicious, but she let it go. They wouldn't do anything wrong on the first day back to school. At least that's what she wanted to think.

On the way there, their mother suddenly said, out of the blue, 'Your fatherly Apparate in before you leave, so you'll be able to see him. He won't be there for long, mind you.' And that was the last word spoken before they arrived at the station.

There, Mrs. Potter levitated both trunks onto two separate carts and the two children began pushing them towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

Two men in red suits came up to them, "Shall we take your baggage for you?"

Persephone answered, "Please." Before taking the cat carrier whereas James simply nodded.

Mrs. Potter looked at her watch, "Oh god."

"What is it, mum?" Persephone asked.

"Well, the train leaves in about four minutes or so, and your father still hasn't shown up."

As if it were a cue, a sudden popping sound signaled the arrival of Jeffery Potter. "Sorry I'm late!"

A chorus of the word "Dad!" began.

"Nice timing dear," Mrs. Potter smiled before giving Mr. Potter a kiss on the cheek. "You had me worried for a second."

"Sorry!" He said quickly with a squeak in his voice. "There was a bit of an accident…but nothing serious. Now," he kneeled down, "James. I've got one word for you. Behave." He then shifted slightly, turning to Persephone, "I'm going to miss you…Be good alright? Don't stray off and wreak havoc on the school, no matter how much James tries to persuade you, alright?"

Persephone was giggling, "Alright dad."

"If you ever need anything, use your brother's owl or a school owl. Whichever you'd like."

They kissed and hugged when the whistle began blowing. "Love ya mum, love ya dad!" Persephone called back as she made her way onto the train.

She began following James. Now all they needed to do was find Sirius, Remus and Peter. Should be that hard on a train filled with children. Piece of cake!

It was a minute or two after the train started out, but they did find the trio rather easily. Remus had one of the window seats, Peter was across from him while Sirius was in the isle with a slightly upset mood on his face. 

"Well? Why'd it take so long?" Sirius demanded.

"What, are you my mother? Need to know where I am every second?" James grinned.

"Ugh, god no!" 

Remus had that knowing look on his face as he continued to stare out the window whereas Peter had that worried sort of look.

"Calm down, will you!" Persephone said as she came in from behind James. "Is it really that important where he's been?" She pushed in between the two and took a seat next to Remus. Still holding her cat. The not purring anymore cat. Why wasn't he purring? In fact, Ebony looked a bit nervous or tense. It was hard to tell since it was, in fact, a cat.

"Hey there," Remus said, for the first time turning away from the window.

"Hey," she began stroking Ebony, hoping the cat wouldn't jump at anyone and shred them. It was a very picky cat! "I gather you've met Ebony?"

Remus eyed the cat. "Yes. We've met."

James plopped down next to Peter while Sirius plopped down next to Persephone.

"So, how's it feel to be going to Hogwarts for your first year? Nervous?"

"Just a bit," she said.

"C-" Sirius began his sentence. Well, a word. But he never finished, for the sound of the door opening caused both James and Sirius to stand from their seats. Persephone sometimes thought that the two shared a brain. And incredibly small one at that. And her thoughts weren't unfounded. 

A tall boy with coal black hair reaching down to his shoulders walked in.

"Get out Snake," Sirius hissed.

"I'm just passing through, _Black_," the boy hissed back, just as venomously before muttering, "No need to get prissy." 

"What was that Snake? I didn't quite hear you." James said, stepping in front of him.

Persephone looked at him as he glared at her brother. He seemed familiar. Snake…Snake…Snape! The one from Diagon Alley!

"Potter," Persephone was brought back from her own little dream world before realizing it wasn't her he was addressing. "I just want to go through the compartment."

Remus was watching the situation, debating whether he should help. Help who? James or Snape? It would make sense to a twelve year old to help his friends, but Sirius was more than enough back up. In fact, he sort of worried about Snape. 

Persephone was thinking very similar thoughts. Snape looked as though he could handle himself against a grown man. But Sirius looked somewhat deranged. James didn't look as sane as Persephone hoped either. And they'd been the ones starting it! How stupid can they get!?

"You're just a greasy, pathetic, chicken. That's all you are Snape." Sirius sneered at Snape.

"T-" Snape was about to respond when Persephone stood up clutching her cat. "James! Sirius! It's Ebony!"

All the boys in the compartment looked at her. Even Snape. "Look at her!" She placed the sleeping cat onto her seat and backed away, looking as if she were about to start crying.

Lupin, Sirius and James all approached the cat while Peter kept his distance. Snape however, was unmoved. Well, he was looked at the cat from his position quite curiously but otherwise, he was in the same position he'd been in a moment earlier. Persephone kept backing away. Right into Snape.

Before he could respond, she hissed, "Go!"

He looked at her, eyebrow raised. 

"What's wrong with her sis?" James said, his as well as everyone else's back still directed at Persephone and Snape. 

She sniffed out, "I don't know!" before hissing again, "Go! Leave!"

He didn't need to be told twice. Well…alright, he did. But that's only because she took him by surprise. In fact, the only reason he _did_ need telling twice was because he was about to give her some healing potions.

James finally turned around. By this time, Persephone was watching the door swing as Snape left.

"There's nothing wrong with 'im from what I can see, Seph."

"Same here." "Seems alright to me."

Persephone smiled before walking over and scooping up Ebony. "Oh! It must have been a false alarm! Thank god!"

Sirius had his head in his hand while Remus' head returned to leaning against the window.

"I almost had a fi-"

"Hold on!" James narrowed his eyes, "Where's Snape!"

Remus was the one to answer. In a drawling tone, he said, "Must've left while we were having a look at Ebony," in a lifeless tone.

"Damn! We'll get him when we get to Hogwarts then," Sirius growled.

Persephone would have asked why they wanted to go after him. But it would make her seem suspicious, she thought.

The rest of the trip was mostly uneventful. Sirius and James played cards while Remus and Peter read. Persephone took a seat farther away from the four. She needed to think. And hearing Sirius and James threatening each other with hideous colored hair wasn't helping any.

'_Ebony, what am I going to do? I mean, I haven't gained the ability to use any special powers or anything! So what've I got to be worried about?!_' She continued to stroke Ebony as she gave out a short yawn.

"You know what I'll do?" she whispered to her purring cat, "I'll write a letter to mum tomorrow…She'll examine the ring, tell me I was just hallucinating finding the ring and I was wrong when I thought it was the Ring of Hope, and we'll be _fine_! Sounds good, eh?"

'_See! Nothing to worry about! I just need to write a letter, send the ring, and I'll be done with it!_'

When the train arrived at Hogsmeade Station, Ebony was put back into her cat carrier and her robe was on. She was all set to go. Yes, she was nervous. But who wouldn't be? It was the first day arriving at school! Of course she was nervous! She'd be worried if she weren't!

She hopped off the train and went towards a tall man calling out to all of the first years.

When actually getting on line with the other first years, she had to look up to see the top of the large man. He had to be fifteen feet tall in Persephone's opinion. He had a long tangled beard that messily reached down in front, the same could be said about his hair, though it went down his back instead of his front. 

"I'm Hagrid," he said in a gruffy voice, "Now jus' follow me ter th' boats."

Hagrid lead the group of nervous first years to a lake. By the shore, there were several boats floating around.

"Alrigh', four t' a boat," he said ushering them to the boats quickly.

Persephone got into a boat with two boys and one other girl. One of the boys had dark brown hair, neatly parted in the middle. He looked somewhat thin and a bit short. However, the one on his left was mid sized, not too tall, not too short. He had blonde hair neatly patted down against his head. Then there was the girl on her left. She had blonde hair, very much like the boy's, that reached about midway down her back. Not anywhere near as long as Persephone's. She had a smile on her round shaped face. She wasn't fat! Not near it! She was just one of those people with a somewhat round shaped face, and in Persephone's opinion, looked as if she could model clothes.

"Hi, I'm Narcissa Grey," she smiled cheerfully, looking over to Persephone.

"Hi, I'm Persephone Potter," Persephone smiled back. "Nervous?"

"Just a bit."

That response sounded familiar… "Ah," she nodded, "My older brother James said it wasn't too painful being sorted. I reckon he was just trying to scare me though…"

"That's definitely an older brother like thing!" Narcissa giggled back. "I've got one here. He's a fifth year in Slytherin, Head Boy this year! God knows how he got that title! Probably had to murder someone!" She laughed.

"Oh," Persephone laughed a bit nervously, though she tried not to make it so apparent. "Well, my brother told me their were Kappa's living in the pond by my house…got him to tell the truth though…it kind of slipped out," she grinned.

"Tricked him into the truth, eh? Sounds clever."

Persephone only blushed, though it was hard to see in the night. Before anyone could say anything else, they came around the bend and they had a beautiful, clear view of Hogwarts. 

'_So this is why the first years take the boats…_'

"Good first impression," Narcissa said, her face in a mix between awestruck and bored. A mix Persephone didn't think possible. Apparently she was wrong. 

"Exactly what I was thinking…" The boy with brown hair split in the middle said. He then turned around abruptly, "I'm Marcus Quirrel, by the way."

"I'm Narcissa," Narcissa responded, smiling.

"Persephone Potter," Persephone smiled as well.

"Nice to meet you." He then turned back around.

After a few more minutes, they came ashore. One by one, they got out of the boats and formed a messy group behind Hagrid.

"Alrigh' follow me t' yer sortin'" he said gruffly before turning around and starting up a staircase.

They did so. All thirty or forty children marched after the giant, though some of them stuck close to friends. Having shared a compartment with her brother and his friends, the only people she knew were Narcissa and Marcus. So she walked by Narcissa the whole way up. And it _was_ a long walk. Climb. Whatever you'd like to call it. Walking up the stairs for a few moments more, Hagrid had disappeared and they came upon an old looking witch in emerald green robes.

"Hello and welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor and the Transfiguration professor. In a few moments, you'll be lead into the Great Hall where you'll be sorted into your houses. Your houses here will be like your family. You'll eat, sleep and dine with them for the rest of your time at Hogwarts. This ceremony is one to be taken seriously." She gave the group a stern look. 

Though she, Narcissa and Marcus were right up front, Persephone couldn't get a good look at the witch. She was tall. About as tall as Persephone's dad, possibly taller. But what was clear, was the tired look on her face. She turned and went through the doors, leaving the children standing there, absolutely shaken.

"I know I'll be in Slytherin. Everyone in my family's been there," Narcissa said, turning to Persephone as soon as the doors closed behind the tired looking professor.

"I'll probably be in Ravenclaw… My mum was a Ravenclaw and the rest of my immediate family is in Gryffindor. But then again, I heard they sort you based on personal qualities rather than family history. If so, I'll probably be a Hufflepuff…"

"Oh, you wouldn't! I bet you'll be a Ravenclaw, really!" Narcissa reassured her.

Persephone debated saying 'Anything but Slytherin's fine with me.' But since the girl obviously favored that house, it wasn't wise.

Just then, the doors reopened and the witch was back. "We're ready. If you'll follow me please."

She turned and headed into a large room. Possibly the largest single room Persephone had ever seen in her life. And the ceiling. It was beautiful. It had the night's sky, but it was indoors! It was simply beautiful!

When they stopped walking down the isle between two tables (filled with older children, I should add!), they arrived at a platform. On the platform was a four legged stool. And on the stool? A wizard's hat. It was fairly torn and ripped around the edges. A few patches were sown onto it as well.

Suddenly, a voice began to sing. It was coming from the hat!

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, filled with young,

Made several centuries ago by the head strong,

Four great wizards and witches thought, 

It would be wonderful to have the young taught.

And so they built a castle here,

Hidden from all Muggle ears,

Now for placement, what to do?

It was Godric Gryffindor who knew!

Where to place you for your years,

They made me, to look at every tear,

Will you be in Gryffindor,

Where the courageous go

Or maybe in Hufflepuff,

Where their hard work does show,

Maybe you'll be in Ravenclaw,

Filled with intellectual minds,

Last but not least Slytherin,

Home of the cunning, you'll find.

Now try me on, 

And I'll tell you where to go,

Don't worry about error, 

Because everything is known!"

The Great Hall erupted into applause as the hat finished singing.

"I'm going to call each of your names, you'll come up to the stool and I'll place the Sorting hat on your head. Then you will be sorted into your house," professor McGonagall announced as she held up a piece of parchment.

"Aries, Jake" was the first to be called, … "Ravenclaw!"

"Bass, May", …"Hufflepuff!"

"Boot, Michael" The blonde haired boy who had been on the boat with Narcissa, Marcus and Persephone was quickly made a "Slytherin!"

"Case, Justin", … "Slytherin!"

"Davies, Craig" , …"Gryffindor!"

"Delphy, Katerina", … "Ravenclaw!"

"Edwards, Julius", … "Hufflepuff!"

"Grey, Narcissa," Narcissa quickly hurried from her place on Persephone's right hand side. It took only a moment for the hat to call out "Slytherin!"

"Hents, Malcolm" , … "Hufflepuff!"

"Hinston, Garry", … "Hufflepuff!"

"Johnson, Jennifer", … "Ravenclaw!"

"Jones, Rick", …"Ravenclaw!"

"Leffert, Amanda", … "Hufflepuff!"

"Marks, Orion", … "Gryffindor!"

"Marsters, Albert", … "Gryffindor!"

"Menard, Rachel", … "Hufflepuff!"

"Michaels, Morgan", … "Gryffindor!"

"Michaels, Matthew", … "Ravenclaw!"

"Picard, Luke", … "Slytherin!"

"Potter, Persephone!" McGongall called out. Persephone felt her cheeks becoming very warm. She quickly, well as quickly as someone that nervous can, walked up to the stool and sat down as McGonagall placed the hat on her head.

It was an extremely big hat. Well, for a kid, because it easily covered her eyes, something she hadn't noticed with the previously sorted children.

'_Hello there!_' A voice called out from all directions. '_tough decision here…_'

"_…Sorry…_"

'_You've nothing to be sorry for! …Now let's see…Your quite the reader…very smart girl… You aren't a complete coward though, so Ravenclaw and Gryffindor are definitely in the picture here. You'd get a tad bit bored in Hufflepuff…not enough of a challenge for you there. You are quite clever though, ambitious…_'

A pause.

'_Where to put you…How does Ravenclaw sound to you? You'd be surrounded by intellectual minds who would help you do your best…_'

"_That sounds quite nice… If I studied enough and read all my books, I might become Prefect…top of the class…No one would do better than me if given an equal chance…_"

'_…That's interesting…_'

"_What is?_"

'_You've got a secret…and it should be kept that way…this definitely changes everything…well, with the exception of the outcome…_'

"_What are you talking about?_" 

"SLYTHERIN!" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thanks to my only reviewer, Evanne Martine Hall! It's good to know someone actually wants me to continue!


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